Butcher Icarus Hines is toasting his success as 'people's choice' in a Norfolk-wide competition to find the best bangers.

His Norfolk sausage won the public vote at competition held at the weekend.

Six butchers did a cook off of their products at the Forum in Norwich - and people sampling the sausages voted for their favourite.

Mr Hines was delighted to top the poll, saying: 'I am particularly chuffed to get the award, as it is the first time in 40 years as a butcher I have entered a sausage competition.

'I have always been too busy, especially as they are normally on a Saturday.

'I entered because we sometimes feel in the shadow of the Norwich butchers who get all the glory so we wanted to show what we have here on the north Norfolk coast,' he added.

The business, which has shops at Cromer and Sheringham, asked customers to choose which sausage it used through its Facebook page.

Mr Hines said the Norfolk winner had a high pork content, was low on salt and rusk, and had black pepper and a hint of nutmeg.

He cooked about 600 sausages on a charcoal barbecue - simmering them in a pork stock - for the public to sample.

He learned butchery as a teenager and worked for national chains until setting up his own shop in Cromer in 1985.

Second place went to another well-known north Norfolk butcher - Tavern Tasty Meats of Swafield. Mr Hines was also runner-up in the sponsors choice category.

The competition was part of the 10th EDP Adnams Spire Norfolk Food and Drink Festival.

READER OFFER

Try Icarus Hines' award-winning Norfolk sausages with this reader offer through the print version of the News.

Take the coupon printed in this week's paper to either the Cromer or Sheringham shop and get 1lb of the 'people's choice' sausages free when you buy 2lb worth.